Stenciled Air Dry Clay Dish

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner we’re sharing how to create a stenciled air dry clay dish!

Filling a Need…

A few weeks ago, I was at my parent’s home, Bliss Barracks, helping my sisters clean up all the dishes. We’ve done this post dinner cleaning routine so many times we pretty much already have our jobs nailed down pretty well. 

My middle sister usually takes over rinsing all the dishes but she was held up with one of the littles.  So, I offered to take over sink duty for a hot minute and realized I had no place to put my jewelry. 

Creating a Simple Solution…

To be perfectly honest, I don’t wear a lot of jewelry, it’s usually the same classic pieces each day. But on this particular day, I was wearing a special bracelet with a new latch and I wanted to make extra sure it didn’t fall down the sink drain.

My Mom didn’t have a ring dish, so I just put the bracelet on the dresser in one of the guest bedrooms and called it good. 

But then I started thinking about all the times I’ve needed a ring dish in my own home too.  I could seriously use one at every sink!

Well, on the way home the wheels started turning and I remembered the vintage-inspired air dry clay ornaments I made at Christmas. I was bummed to have to pack them away after only a month of using them. 

So, right then and there I decided to make a stenciled air dry clay dish to use around the sinks at my house and in the kitchen at Bliss Barracks too. 

They were super easy to create and would make a fun gift to give at Valentine’s Day, Christmas, birthdays or showers!

Here’s a look at how you can make a Stenciled Air Dry Clay Dish of your own…

Stenciled Air Dry Clay Dish Supplies:

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•  Air Dry Clay 
• Craft Mat (similar here) 
• Non-Stick Rolling Pin (similar here) 
• Parchment Paper or Flour Sack Towels
• Bee Stencil (or another stencil of your choice) I used this one  because I already had it on hand but I love this bee stencil too 
• Crown Embellishment (or embellishment of your choice, we found ours at Hobby Lobby)
• Gold Paint (or paint color of your choice, we found ours at Joanns)
• Paint Pen (optional, we found ours at Joanns)
• Polyurethane Matte Sealer (we found ours at Joanns)
• Art Brushes, (similar here) 
• Knife
• Small Bowls
• Baking Rack 
• Fine Grit Sandpaper (if needed)

Stenciled Air Dry Clay Dish Steps:

Gather your supplies and lay a piece of parchment paper or flour sack towel over your craft mat.

Using your rolling pin, roll out your air dry clay until it’s about 1/2 an inch thick (this is always the hardest part for me).

Place your stencil directly onto the clay.  I made a bee and a monogrammed C which you’ll see interchanged in the pictures below.

Then roll over the stencil using your rolling pin with even pressure, making an impression onto the air dry clay.  

Be careful as you lift the stencil off the clay, so you don’t smudge your image. 

Place a small bowl (or biscuit cutter) to cut around the image.

Press down until you have a circle around your image.

Next using caution and care, use a knife to cut around the edges.

 And carefully tear away any extra air dry clay. 

Add embellishments, if desired.  We found these crowns in the paper crafting section of Hobby Lobby.

While your air-dry clay bee dish is still damp, carefully set it inside a small bowl or tray while still on the parchment paper, this will help you form the shape of the dish. 

Allow the dish to dry for 48 hours before moving it to a baking rack. Let the dish try completely before painting. We let our bee dish dry for almost 3 days. 

Things to Keep in Mind…

If you have any rough edges, lightly sand them down with a piece of fine-grit sandpaper. 

Once the dish has dried, paint if desired or seal with several coats of polyurethane sealer allowing for plenty of drying time between each coat.   

We painted our bees with multiple coats of gold craft paint before sealing with polyurethane.

After trying both the craft paint and the pant pen, I can honestly say, it was so much easier and cleaner to use the paint pen.  That said it chipped a bit after I applied the coats of poly.

Another tip to consider when applying the polyurethane is to paint the bottom of your air dry clay bee dish first and be sure to check for drips ?

What we like about this simple air dry clay bee dish is that it was simple to make yet is neutral enough to be used around any style sink, on a nightstand, desk or dresser too. 

The bonus is that it could easily be customized for friends, coworkers or family members too.

I’m still on the hunt for a smaller goat stencil so I can make a dish for my office! Until I find one, this air-dry clay stenciled monogram dish was a fun alternative.

Let us know if you decide to make these for Valentine’s Day gifts or if you just decide to use them around the house.  We’re always interested in what you’re making!

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo